Major: Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology (SMEP)
Minor: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Minor: Business

The human body has always been Randy’s biggest interest since he was a child. Ever since he got his hands on a stethoscope, the mysteries of the body have enthralled him and drove him to pursue a career in discovery. Coming into the program as a pre-med, Randy quickly discovered that he equally had a passion for research and medicine. Throughout his time in the program, Randy has been combining his passion for medicine and love for research in novel ways.

For the last two and a half years, Randy has been working in the Kirienko Lab on both developing a predictive gene network for sensitivity to certain cancer drugs and determining the severity of certain antibiotic-resistant bacterium. While the research may seem to initially have no relation to exercise physiology, Randy’s work on biomarkers in the Kirienko Lab led him to wonder if it was possible to combine those ideas with human health and physiology. To pursue this interest, Randy will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to conduct research on finding said biomarkers in indicating the onset of Cardiovascular disease for different populations.

Apart from his work in the lab, Randy founded the Health Occupations Students of America chapter at Rice and is involved in the campanile orchestra here at Rice. He enjoys spending time with his friends, going out to explore the Houston food scene, and hiking.

Randy is very grateful for the wonderful faculty and incredible opportunities that the Kinesiology department has provided to allow him to pursue his dreams. After graduate school, Randy hopes to attend medical school in order to go into the field of oncology.